Caring for Your Veneers_ 9 Practical Ways to Clean Them

Veneers are affordable dental implants that restore your smile with little effort and maximum style. All it takes is one dental visit to place these porcelain caps on your teeth, and they’ll look naturally white in no time.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore proper oral hygiene altogether. Here are nine practical ways to clean and care for your veneers:

Always Visit Your Dentist

Regular prophylaxis is a must, especially when you have these dental implants on some, most, or all of your teeth! Plaque, tartar, and gum diseases can affect the quality of your veneers. Dried blood stains could leave an impression, and sometimes chips or cracks may occur throughout your eating, drinking, and biting.

The best dentists will check for these signs and recommend the best courses of action, whether to clean or replace the affordable dental implants altogether.

Use Protection

If you’re into contact sports like martial arts, basketball, or football, impacts from scrimmages can chip or even break your veneers. This is why you must wear a mouthguard at all times to lessen damage to your pearly whites.

Besides protection from blunt force, a mouthguard also comes in handy if you clench or grind your teeth throughout the day or when you’re asleep. It’ll preserve your dental implants longer and also avoid untimely cracks and replacements.

Use the Right Toothbrush

The bristles on your toothbrush shouldn’t be too hard since they will scratch and eventually damage your veneers. Go for soft bristles and replace them once you notice or feel them becoming harder over time.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

Alcoholic beverages run the risk of softening the adhesives that keep the veneers onto the surface of your teeth. Though this doesn’t cause total removal, it will stain and damage the surface since ethanol is a volatile substance that can negatively affect veneers when highly concentrated.

Check your mouthwash and toothpaste, too, for their alcoholic content. The safest measurement is less than 5 percent to zero, so your veneers remain clean without suffering any of the above damages.

Limit Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine can do a number on your affordable dental implants if you’re a coffee-lover or soda-drinker. They’ll leave unsightly brown stains that turn your pearly whites into dirty whites or even khakis.

You can avoid this by drinking through a straw, so the beverage goes straight down to your throat or – if you can’t avoid it altogether – rinse your mouth with water or drink a glass of water afterward.

Observe What You Eat

Veneers may look like natural teeth, but you have to remember they’re still made from porcelain, the material some plates are made of. Anyone who’s thrown a plate to the floor with enough force knows they’ll break immediately.

The same goes for veneers. Enough biting force plus a hard snack (like apples, carrots, and even crisps) will chip or crack those implants. If you are going to eat these tough foods, chew them through your molars, not your front teeth.

Never Use Teeth as Tools

Teeth can be great tools for opening bottles, wrappers, and soft containers when there aren’t any scissors or other equipment around. However, this isn’t the case if you have veneers. Don’t use your dental implants as tools since they’re meant for cosmetic, not functional, purposes.

Buy the Right Toothpaste

Aside from minimal to zero alcohol content, your toothpaste needs to be free from hydrogen peroxide, sodium bicarbonate, and baking soda! All these chemicals reduce the shine and surface of your veneers.

Do not purchase whitening toothpaste either, as they are unnecessary for veneer care.

Maintain a Consistent Oral Hygiene Regimen

The simplest way to keep your veneers clean is to brush them at least twice a day and floss once a day to prevent gum disease from eating away at the implant and its adhesive. 

In Conclusion

Veneers look like teeth, but they’re more cosmetic than functional. As such, these nine tips keep them pearly white and ever ready for a smile, provided you follow them to the letter. Remember to check with your dentist regularly for professional advice on caring for these implants, so they last a long time!

Set your appointment today at G-Dental32 for affordable dental implants like veneers! We’ve got the best dentist in Denver specializing in general, cosmetic, and other oral hygiene services for you and your family. Book a visit with us now!